Connecting low-income Californians to good jobs with family-sustaining wages and advancement opportunities

Our Approach

As California’s economy has grown in recent years, so too has the number of middle-skill jobs –
positions that offer higher wages for high school graduates who have had additional training. Approximately 1.4 million middle-skill jobs are unfilled in California, and yet these jobs are just out of reach for many low-wage workers.

Every worker should have the access and opportunity to earn wages that can sustain a family and the chance to advance in their careers. This benefits Californians, their families, and our state, and a diversified workforce is good for workers and businesses alike.

Better Careers partners with grantees who understand the work beyond job training. Low-income workers and people of color disproportionately lack the critically important social networking connections that frequently lead to middle-wage jobs. One recent study estimates that 85 percent of staff or management jobs are found by networking through acquaintances, colleagues, and friends.

These closed networks restrict jobseeker access, resulting in a less diverse pool of applicants and, ultimately, employees. And they may reinforce hiring biases already at play. Better Careers grantees are addressing these issues head on, in partnership with individuals, organizations, and communities across the state.

Initiative Grants

A two-year grant of $2 million to expand CEO’s scale and impact in California by adding career pathway programming to its core model, helping formerly-incarcerated adults secure higher-wage jobs faster.

A three-year grant of $3 million to expand LeadersUp’s capacity as a talent development intermediary, creating a shift in business practice to improve the hiring and retention of Opportunity Youth in Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area.

A three-year grant of $5 million to bring to scale the impact of Year Up California, specifically through expansion of its operations in Los Angeles and the Bay Area that provide middle-skills training and jobs for low-income young people.

A two-year grant of $500,000 for general operating support. This grant would allow Taller San Jose Hope Builders to increase the number of Opportunity Youth connected to quality jobs, and to grow the number of employer partners who hire from Hope Builders.

A two-year grant of $350,000 to support Geekwise Academy Web Developer Job Readiness Programs, which train unemployed and underemployed workers in the San Joaquin Valley for middle-wage jobs in the tech industry.

A two-year grant of $750,000 to build a California Opportunity Marketplace that connects employers with job-placement organizations that include traditionally overlooked candidates in who they serve. The marketplace’s aim is to place more Californians without bachelor’s degrees into quality, middle-wage jobs.

A two-year grant of $3 million to support implementation of The Future of California, a state-based impact strategy to advance sustained education and employment opportunities for Californians who are working but struggling with poverty.

A two-year grant of $1.5 million to equip East Bay communities for lasting economic mobility through guided participation and achievement in four domains: Income, Assets, Wellness, and positive Social Connections.

A two-year grant of $500,000 to scale the Central Valley Pre-Apprenticeship Program, which would build the local apprenticeship pipeline by focusing on enhancing job readiness for high-need populations.

Pilot Grants

A two-year grant of $1 million to support work-based learning programs at Chaffey College’s InTech Center. The goal is to increase job readiness in advanced manufacturing careers for residents of San Bernardino and Riverside counties.

A two-year grant of $700,000 to create a replicable, scalable training model that results in new and expanded pathways for Opportunity Youth in creative technology careers. This includes preparing graduates for employment opportunities that can sustain a family while improving collaboration on a systems level.

A two-year grant of $1 million to implement the Rubicon Empowerment model in Contra Costa County. Rubicon’s model equips participants to climb their socioeconomic ladders through guided participation and achievement in four domains: Income, Assets, Wellness, and positive Social Connections.

A two-year grant of $1 million to expand capacity in the San Francisco Bay Area to create accessible good jobs through education, acceleration, and investment in high-growth small businesses; and a 20-month grant of $400,000 to establish ICA Fund Good Jobs loan loss reserve.

A two-year grant of $1 million grant to expand capacity as a talent development intermediary, creating a shift in business practice to improve the hiring and retention of Opportunity Youth in Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area.

A two-year grant of $3.3 million to expand operations in Los Angeles and the Bay Area. Opportunity youth are placed on a viable path to economic self-sufficiency through their high-support, high-expectation model that combines marketable job skills, stipends, internships, and college credits.

A two-year grant of $1 million to expand the impact of the San Diego Workforce Partnership and broaden an innovative, tech-based platform to match 16- to 24-year-old young people with jobs in high-growth sectors in San Diego.

A $150,000 grant to support the Los Angeles Creative Industry Programming Study to inform workforce development entities and programs operating on the ground to prepare and place high-risk young people (ages 14-24) in middle-wage, middle-skill jobs in the creative economy/entertainment sector.

A $250,000 grant to explore the potential for replication of La Cocina's food business incubator model targeting low-income and immigrant entrepreneurs, and to understand the value of storytelling in augmenting the success of their businesses.

Research Spotlight

Path to Employment: Maximizing the Impact of Alternative Pathways Programs

June 2017
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Tyton Partners

There's a growing number of innovative programs linking and aligning employer’s specialized needs with workers' desire for the skills to secure a good job. These alternative pathways programs align training with in-demand skills and competencies to connect workers to open positions.